LAGRANGE, Ga. — Redemption. On Saturday, it came in the form of a Averett University softball team dogpile in the pitcher's circle as the Cougars celebrated a 2017 USA South Conference Tournament championship while the team that beat them a year earlier in the final watched from the third base dugout at the Shuford Softball Complex.

Averett (28-18) overcame multiple deficits, forced extra innings and edged Ferrum College 8-7 in eight innings to win its second conference tournament title in program history.

With the tying run in scoring position and the winning run aboard in the bottom of the eighth inning, freshman pitcher and tournament MVP Kaitlyn Aherron threw strike three past her former high school teammate for the final out to clinch Averett's third NCAA Tournament berth in program history.

"'I love you, Kaitlyn.' That was my thought," senior shortstop Jessica Long said. "She deserved every award that she has earned. As soon as she got that strikeout, I was the first one there to tackle her."

The Panthers took two from Averett to steal the 2016 championship last season after also emerging from the loser's bracket on the final day of the tournament. For a while, it appeared as if Ferrum (23-17) was going to force the "if necessary" game for the second season in a row. The Panthers jumped on Averett 3-0 after two innings, riding the momentum of their elimination game victory over Maryville College earlier in the day.

Yet, the Cougars clawed their way back into the game in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Andrea Grant's sacrifice fly plated the first run, and Averett tied it, 3-3, thanks to a two-run error moments later. However, Ferrum responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of two-run singles to regain a 7-3 advantage.

Once again, Averett showed its resiliency. In the top of the sixth, freshman Breanna Murphy reached on a leadoff single, and freshman Nicole Cauthen followed with an RBI triple. Cauthen scored an error, pulling the Cougars back within 7-5.

Down to their final two outs, the Cougars mounted another charge in the top of the seventh. Grant smacked a one-out double. First-year coach Ashley Pyron then went to her bench. Freshman Brianna Harris replaced Grant as a pinch runner, and junior Amanda Wright stepped up to the plate as the pinch hitter. It turned out to be the coaching move of the tournament. Wright stroked a line drive to left field, and the ball got past diving Ferrum left fielder Tiffanie Moore and rolled all the way to the corner. Harris scored easily and Wright came all the way around for a game-tying inside-the-park home run.

"What we've been doing all season is sticking to a game plan offensively," Pyron said. "Bri has been clutch for us and is so smart coming into the pinch-running role. Same thing for Amanda. She's come up big time and time again. In a game-winning situation, there's no one I want more up to bat."

The stunned Panthers got a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, but Aherron got out of the inning with a strikeout.

Sophomore Essence Pulliam led off the eighth with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Long then drew a walk. After another sac bunt put both runners in scoring position, Aherron drew a two-out walk to load the bases. The Cougars then got the break they needed. Pulliam scored the go-ahead run thanks to a Ferrum wild pitch to give Averett an 8-7 lead — its first of the game.

"This team never gives up," Aherron said. "I've never been on a team that has had this much heart before. They never give up. That's what it takes to win."

Although they took the lead, the Cougars still had to put away Ferrum in the bottom half of the eighth. It wasn't easy. The Panthers got back-to-back singles to open the frame and tried to bunt both runners into scoring position. Yet, great defense by Averett got the lead runner out at third base. Aherron then induced a groundout back to the right side of the circle for the second out, but it did move the runners into scoring position. It didn't matter. Aherron, who went 4-0 in the tournament, ended the game with her sixth strikeout of the contest to send the Cougars into the postseason for the second time in three years.

"I was feeling very confident going into the bottom of the inning with Kaitlyn and where we were at in their order," Pyron sad. "The feeling they had when we went ahead — we knew this was our time."

The victory over Ferrum in the championship was especially vindicating for Long and the rest of the returners from last year's roster.

"I felt like we had it in the bag last year," Long said. "We came out and thought we had it. This year was a little different. We had a new group of girls — mostly freshmen. This team has a lot of heart. … We were down most of the game, but I had no doubt we were going to come back. We have this mentality of 'one pitch at a time' and I knew we were going to come back somehow, some way."

Long joined Aherron on the USA South All-Tournament Team, along with Grant, Murphy, Wright and Pulliam.

Following the game, the Cougars celebrated by dousing their coach with the cooler. Pyron was all smiles after the comeback win.

"Their resilience and trust in each other helped them get to where they needed to be," she said. "It's been so fun this weekend watching them play. They compete for seven innings and it doesn't matter what the score is."

The Cougars will now wait several weeks to find out who they will face and where they will travel for the NCAA Regional, which will be held the second weekend in May.



2017 USA South Conference Softball All-Tournament Team
UT - Amanda Wright, Averett
C - Breanna Murphy, Averett
P - Kaitlyn Aherron, Averett (MVP)
P - Courtney Rudd, Ferrum
1B - Amber Coffin, Ferrum
2B - Maddie Ols, Ferrum
SS - Jessica Long, Averett
3B - Andrea Grant, Averett
OF - Essence Pulliam, Averett
OF - Tiffanie Moore, Ferrum
OF - Ashton Hayden, Maryville